Ultimate Fighting Championships to come to Ireland for St Patrick’s Day

America’s notoriously violent Mixed Martial Arts fighting competition, the UFC, is to come stage an event in Ireland next St Patrick’s Day, according to internet and print media reports.

According to the Irish Daily Star UFC president Dana White and the governing body of the UFC have first refusal on one of the largest venues in the country, the O2 arena in Dublin, for 17 March, Ireland’s national holiday.

This will be the third event that the behemoth fight promotions company will put on on Ireland.: UFC 93 was held at the O2 in January of last year, and UFC 72 took place in Belfast in June 2007. Both events brought the company approx. 1.25 million dollars.

“St. Patty's Day may not fit perfectly for us," the company’s UK Director wrote in an email to MMA Fighting, using one of the American stylisations of what the Irish would refer to as St Paddy’s Day, "But hope is we will be there in '11."

An event is also rumoured to be planned in Germany this November, though official details have yet to emerge.